Dragunov SVDS
}} The Dragunov SVDS is a Russian Sniper Rifle. It is unlocked at rank 104, or it can be purchased with credits. History The Dragunov SVDS, (S'nayperskaya '''V'intovka 'D'ragunova 'S'kladnaya; Sniper Rifle Dragunov Foldable) is a folding stock variant of the older Dragunov SVD rifle. It was designed in 1991 at the Izhevsk (Izhmash) factory and chambered for the same 7.62×54mmR cartridge used in the SVD. A PSO-1M2 scope comes with the rifle by default from the manufacturer. The SVDS was designed for usage by airborne infantry units; the folding stock allowing for a more compact size, which is helpful during transportation and landing operations. It also has other improvements over the older SVD design. Unlike its predecessor, the stock and grip are separated instead of one piece stock-grip. The grips and cover are made from plastic instead of wood and a fixed cheek rest was added, which allows for more comfortable shooting. The rifle was also designed for better ergonomics, being slightly shorter than the original SVD and is comparable to sporting rifles. Like other Dragunovs, the SVDS is used as a squad support weapon; the equivalent of a designated marksman rifle in Western militaries. The rifle is very capable for long range sniping, but its accuracy is considered sub-par to the newer, more modern weapon systems. Regardless, it is still able to reliably hit a human size target up to 800 meters. The newest version of the SVD family, the SVDM, is a modernized SVDS, albeit, it has its front sight moved back to the gas block and a shorter barrel. A common misconception about the SVD family of rifles it that it is based on the Kalashnikov action. This is not true as the SVD was built around a proprietary short stroke system rather than the Kalashnikov's long stroke for accuracy reasons. It is mechanically closer to a SVT-40 or SKS in terms of operation. It is likely that this misconception came out of the ubiquity of a similar rifle, the Romanian PSL, which was derived from the RPK and thus built on the Kalashnikov action. In-Game ''General Information'' The Dragunov SVDS is not a typical sniper rifle, sharing some statistics with designated marksman rifles. It is one of the three semi-automatic sniper rifles in game, with the others being the Dragunov SVU and M107. Damage is quite high although comparatively mediocre for its class, being capable of a one-shot headshot at any range, much like the Mosin Nagant, and a two-shot-kill (2SK) at any range, again much like the Mosin Nagant. It is also capable of a 1SK to the torso within its maximum range (50 studs). Rate of fire (RoF) is rather slow, at 60 RPM, but is faster than any other bolt-action rifle in-game, excluding the Steyr Scout. It has poor handling traits, sporting a slow aim-down-sights (ADS) time and slow mobility speed, on par with the Dragunov SVU. Reload times are also fairly slow, with a tactical reload taking 3.1 seconds and an empty reload an even longer 4.2 seconds. Magazine capacity is one of the highest for its class, at 10(+1) rounds; tied with the Dragunov SVU and AWS. Its mobility is also comparable to the Dragunov SVU. ''Usage & Tactics'' The Dragunov SVDS is essentially a semi-automatic sniper rifle and should be treated as such. Like the SVU and Scar SSR, it is outgunned at closer ranges due to its slow RoF, so close-quarters-combat (CQC) should be avoided if possible. Nevertheless, it does have the advantage of being able to 1SK at any range with headshots and compared to the sniper rifle class, it fires slightly faster than most sniper rifles, as stated before. Because the SVDS is semi-automatic, the user does not need to stop ADS to cycle a bolt like one would on a bolt-action sniper rifle. This makes it much easier to track targets, particularly moving ones, as the player does not need to zoom out after every shot, allowing for easier follow-up shots if the player misses their first shot. However, this does increase ammunition expenditure, and a user can overuse rounds and deplete the magazine more frequently than a bolt-action rifle user would. With headshots, the SVDS performs identical, if not better than most sniper rifles, given the slightly better RoF than other Snipers. Body shots are not as effective, unless the target is injured, due to the SVDS’s low RoF which equates to a much higher time-to-kill (TTK) than most DMRs, which benefit from higher firerates. The SVDS's unique unlockable PSO-1M2 scope is somewhat good for long range engagement due to its 6× magnification. It provides the user with a scope somewhat identical in performance to the VCOG 6x Scope, as the rest of the available optics can be hard to use in conjunction with the SVDS. The camera recoil and the model kickback is very high and not ideal for sniping and, as stated above, CQC is not ideal. Using an optic, excluding the sniper optics, the player can press to switch to the backup sight mode, which uses the default iron sights. Nevertheless, compared to the canted sights, it is quite obstructive, the canted sight will replace the default iron sights once equipped. Though the backup iron sights are not available for sniper optics, the canted sights are still available as a backup sight. The Ballistics Tracker is also a very good option for the Dragunov SVDS because of the capability to 1SK to the head. ''Conclusion'' The SVDS is a high skill cap weapon, with a high risk but equally high reward for using the weapon. If a player can reliably perform headshots, it becomes an extremely lethal weapon, rivaling and even surpassing most of the bolt action sniper rifles. It is a bridge between DMRs and sniper rifles, having the potential lethality of a sniper rifle but retaining the semi-automatic nature of a DMR. Pros & Cons '''Pros: * High damage - 1SK to the head at all ranges. * Access to exclusive PSO-1M2 scope. * Clean iron sights. * One-shot torso kill ability within 50 studs. * High ammunition capacity. * Faster than average fire rate. Cons: * Very poor CQC capabilities. * Very poor hipfire accuracy. * Poor mobility speed. * Slow ADS time. * High camera recoil. * Slow muzzle velocity. Trivia *Prior to 2/25/2018, the SVDS had a five-round magazine but had the ten-round magazine model. **It used the same magazine model as the SVU. **It also meant prior to the update, the magazine model was incorrect. * The SVDS's iron sights in-game resemble more of a WW2-era German design, such as the Gewehr 43 or StG-44, rather than the sights similar to the Mosin Nagant it has in reality. *Even though the bolt locks back on any SVD platform rifle in real life when emptied, the SVDS in-game doesn’t have a bolt that locks back. This also applies to the SVU. *The SVDS has the synthetic furniture, folding stock, 45-degree cheek pad and separate pistol grip of the real SVDS, but the proportions of the in-game model are closer to the original SVD proportions. *As of the Winter Update 2 on December 25, 2018, the Dragunov SVDS was reclassified by StyLiS Studios as a sniper rifle. *Post sniper update, the SVDS had its muzzle velocity nerfed alongside many other sniper rifles. References * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragunov_sniper_rifle * https://kalashnikov.com/en/product/firearms/mle/svds.html * https://books.google.com.au/books?isbn=1941998275 Category:Weaponry Category:Primary Weapons Category:Sniper Rifles Category:Dragunov Family